Restaurant Owners Push Back Against Ending Tipped Wage

A consortium of restaurant owners and workers have formed a coalition and launched a website Monday to oppose an end to the tipped wage credit in New York.

The push comes amid Department of Labor hearings that are reviewing the wage and could potentially eliminate it.

The website, savenytips.org, comes as the coalition also plans to stoke opposition through a regular newsletter on the issue and its impact on the restaurant industry.

The current minimum wage for restaurant workers is between $7.50 and $8.65 and tips are meant to bring them to the main wage of $10.40 or $13, depending on the area of the state.

Ending a tipped wage would not necessarily mean an end to tipping or gratuity for service. But the restaurant coalition points to some restaurants already instituting a no tipping policy, but have abandoned that after push back from workers and customers.

The coalition also points to Maine, which had abolished the tip creidt, but reversed themselves after restaurant employees opposed and saw their earnings decrease.